One killed, three injured in wall collapse

An eight-year-old girl was killed and three others were injured when the mud wall of an abandoned house near a school collapsed and fell on them in Bhadrak district today, police said.

The children all students of Binayakpur Upper Primary school in the district were collecting black berry from a tree during tiffin break when the wall of the abandoned thatched house adjacent of the school fell on them, killing the girl on the spot and injuring three others, they said.

The villagers and guardians of the students locked the teachers of the school in a class room in protest.

The deceased was identified as class III student Manasi Malik, of Binayakpur village.

All the injured students were admitted in Basudevpur hospital. But they were later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as their condition turned critical, they said.

Meanwhile, Braja Kishore Malik, the deceased's father alleged that his daughter died due to the carelessness of the teachers. The abandoned house was dangerous as it had no roof. The guardians had cautioned the teachers about the house. But they turned a deaf ear to our appeal, he said.

However, Sarata Chandra, the headmaster of the school, said that the school has nothing to do with the abandoned house as it belongs to private man.

The villagers released the teachers after the Block Education Officer (BEO), Rabindra Matlock placed the headmaster under suspension.